beecoming home
year 3
We collaborate with artists and honeybees to create amazing sculptures to raise awareness and funding for our mission: To help turn Columbus, Ohio into a native pollinator sanctuary. We are tackling this goal by converting vacant and unused land into micro prairies that we call “wild spots”!
Your support will help us acquire more land, and plant more flowers for habitat! Click the link below if you would like to support our mission.
raise awareness and funding for pollinator habitat
The goal of this project is to connect work from artists in this community to the honey bees in a way that truly binds our culture and nature. Creating a true physical symbol of our initial steps to merge these two cornerstones in Franklinton, Ohio. As the honeybees fill spaces, build comb, and fill the cracks to fit their needs, they are a reminder that we do this in our own lives.
We think of honey bees as being native to this place (North America) because they have worked hard to become naturalized, and we have woven this into their story, even though they are immigrants just like many of us.
Becoming “native to place” is first about seeing what you are looking at. It's about being inquisitive about our surroundings, being curious about the spaces we occupy. Yet not just being curious, but following through and searching for answers. It is about reciprocity. It’s about understanding our mutual dependence with where we call home, and our recognition that we can and have to make it better. Having an appreciation for where we are in the moment and in the world, and showing that appreciation by attempting to improve our “place”. Becoming native to place is accepting ownership of our home, and desiring to become immersed in it.
As Wes Jackson said:
We must give standing to the new pioneers, the homecomers bent on the most important work for the next century - a massive salvage operation to save the vulnerable but necessary pieces of nature and culture and to keep the good and artful examples before us. It is time for a new breed of artists to enter front and center, for the point of art, after all, is to connect. This is the homecomer I have in mind: the scientist, the accountant who converses with nature, a true artist devoted to the building of agriculture and culture to match the scenery presented to those first European eyes.”
The theme -
Overarching project theme
“home”
This year’s specific theme
growth
The ask -
Artists are asked to read the first page of this proposal and think about the meaning of home, what it means to you, and how growth applies and intertwines. Then, either provide or create a piece of artwork that has a connection with the theme and the scope of the project.
This artwork will then be placed in a honey bee hive in the spring and worked on throughout the summer to become a part of that hive until it is ready to be removed.
The inspiration is connecting and intertwining the story of bees into the fabric of this community. What story of your community and home would you like to weave into this story?
Media -
Any media. Sculptural art is encouraged, but 2 dimensional art can be amazing too! Honeybee build from the top down, and horizontally. So sculptural art with cavities, nooks, “shelves”, provide spaces for the bees to do unique things.
While this is the 3rd year of this exhibit, the honeybees do not consult us with how to build on the artwork, so everytime it is a surprise. This is an experiment, there is no wrong answers.
Please look at past submissions for how the art was placed into the hive, size, how the bees interacted with each piece. Additionally, please refrain from using materials that are toxic to the bees, or can become harmful if chewed and consumed by the bees. They are curious and will interact with your artwork through touch, taste, and chewing, so we want to do what we can to keep the girls healthy and happy while collaborating with us on this project.
Curiosities -
Natural and found items reimagined
Over the last few years of this event, we have learned a lot about how the bees interact with different materials, shapes, and textures. The curiosity category aims to expand our understanding how bees interact with both natural items and unique materials through introducing bees to natural materials (such as crystal, bone, or plant) they might otherwise not come in contact with, or found items (such as a birdcage, kitchen utensils, or wicker basket). We encourage curiosity when deciding on your item to submit- we are open to collaborating to develop and test research questions, or using items just to see what happens. Please be mindful of not selecting items that will cause a health hazard to the bees (items with parts or coatings that can easily be chewed and consumed, such as latex paint, rusting metal, chemical coating, etc). Reach out to us if you have any questions or are concerned about a material. All items must fit within the stated size parameters, see below.
Size -
A standard honey bee box is 16” x 20” x 9”
A Standard honeybee frame is 18” x ¾” x 6” or 8”
You could provide something more horizontal, vertical, or fill the whole void.
Your submissions should be within those ranges. (see below for a diagram of a hive)
We can also consult on this if you are concerned, or needing additional information.
Application Checklist
Please include the following in your application submission:
A 2- page (maximum, no minimum) proposal highlighting:
Your concept and ideas for your art piece or curiosities entry
Reasoning for your creation
Where you are located
Why it fits within the scope of the theme
Any significant or important messaging with the artwork
A list of materials the piece will be made of (please see below for details to consider)
Dimensions of the final piece
A sketch of the piece (or photograph if you are in possession of the final)
Photos of previous work to showcase your art and artistic style
$15 application fee, follow this link to the website to pay, and email your submission to beekeeper@beethecollective.com
Timeline
Concept submission deadline: 2/9/24
Artist selection date: 2/15/24
Final Art submission date: 4/15/24
The best time for bees to build beeswax and therefore honeycomb is May-June, so it is important the artwork is submitted before May.
Acceptance -
If you are selected for the 2024 year, we will reach out to you individually and confirm your commitment. We will then post publicly the list of artists in this years exhibit
Purchase of art (what happens to the art) -
This year's gallery show will be in the fall of 2024
If art sells, the request is a 50/50 split between this project and the artist. 50% to the artist, and 50% to the “wild spot” pollinator sanctuary project that has been started for the city of Columbus. The artist will have full involvement in deciding the final price.
If the art does not sell at the gallery, we will hold onto the art as it will be traveled to other galleries and museums in the coming years.
Involvement -
You can be as involved, or uninvolved as you would like! Our hope is that this could create a great new experience for all the artists. Everyone who is involved is invited to suit up with me and be a beekeeper for an hour, see progress, and receive a jar of honey from the bee collective hives at the event.
Final Note -
Explaining how the honeybees will interact with the sculptures is difficult on paper. So I did not try to confuse further by attempting to explain too much here. If you are interested in this idea, and would like to understand more, we can set up a consultation and chat. There are also examples of last year’s sculptures, and you can see them in person if you would like.